politics

Abe looks forward to winds of change from women in cabinet

13 Comments
By YURI KAGEYAMA

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13 Comments
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Male or female, if these politicians make yearly trips to Yasukuni, tell me Fukushima is under control, and preach the Abe economics doctrine, then this progress isn't progress at all. I judge a politician by what they believe in and what they can do for the people.

If Abe's shrewd publicity move turns to real progress for real women with sexual harassment justice, affordable and more day care facilities, and an equal pay at companies, then that's great. But so far all of Abe's talk and moves about women is just window dressing.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

'Yuko Obuchi, daughter of a former prime minister, was named trade and economy minister'

Male or female, some things don't change at the LDP.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Could be appointed 100 women. It doesn't make sense in Jp cuz of its really mens sociaty

Eriko Yamatani as minister in charge of Japanese abducted by North Korea, an area where she has been active in the past

lol How "active" she was? Never heard abt any success.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

How many of the elite bureaucrats that really run Japan are women? The politicians are just faces the people get to see and vote for but the real power in Japan lies with the bureaucrats, they make the policies and call the shots.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

These five cabinet members are all deeply conservative and right-wing, a fact more important than they are female.

Let's see if genuine change occurs for women at work, raising children, day-care, then change will have actually occurred.

It reminds me a bit of right wingers in the States saying racism is over now that there is a black president. Far from it.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

“Realizing a society where women can shine is a challenge our cabinet has undertaken,

hopefully "shine" here doesn't mean that those women would be there just to be seen as members of the roundtable or just for the sake of including women in the highest decision making body, but that their views is to be considered or integrated within the overall decision makings.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'd bet Abe got them because of their argument skill. All five have scared male politicians in past. They qre ultrq conservqtive except womn issues they have different ideqs. /so,verbql violence as usuqally. They are picked for their combqttive qttitude, i bet

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The men are all wearing identical black tuxedos with white ties, which aptly reflects their conformist attitudes.

Every group Cabinet photo is like this. The men wear black tuxedos, nearly always with gray pants, and the women wear what they want. Google Images?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Only one place to turn to in a society where men can no longer lead

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan has a vast pool of talented, well-educated women, but they are far under-represented in positions of power in government and corporations. Women make up 10% of the Diet and just 3.9% of board members of listed Japanese companies, versus 12% at U.S. corporations and 18% in France

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Now, percentage of women in cabinet is 5/18 * 100 = 27.7777777777778. More than 25 %. Very good example. However, I hope Abe will increase up to 50 % by including liberal and central female politicians in future. Notice these new Ministers' educational and experience background, they had been neglected in LDP male dominated society, No wonder they became more outspoken than many brainless LDP members to boss them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

While it's a positive to have greater female representation in a male dominated club, the critical point as others have mentioned is how do they differ in their thinking or do they just play the line and follow the set beliefs ie - conservative to the hilt?

If Abe has appointed them as a "feel good" measure, designed to get votes (nah - couldn't be) then little will change, as the LDP machinery will roll on as usual.

Tokenism is not required.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Did anyone else notice how the group photo has been arranged in terms of what the ministers are wearing and where they have been positioned?

The men are all wearing identical black tuxedos with white ties, which aptly reflects their conformist attitudes. Each of the women are wearing whatever they felt appropriate for the occasion.

Also, rather than a random arrangement of cabinet members, there's Abe in the front and center, surrounded by a cocoon of female ministers, with the female ministers surrounded by an outer layer of male ministers.

I wish Japan would loosen up a bit on these occasions — less rigidity, more spontaneity.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Refreshing !!!! Pro-active !!!! .................Setting precedent for the rest of J corps. . . .So listen-up . . .change is HERE.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

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